1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a vertically extendible and retractable mast for supporting an antenna and coaxial cable connected thereto to receive and/or broadcast information and is particularly adapted for use by seismograph exploration crews for receiving data from portable transmitter units which may be located at substantial distances from the receiver with the mast being adapted for mounting stationarily or on a mobile vehicle. The mast and antenna is a multiple stage antenna with simultaneous movement of the sections of the mast with the coaxial cable being fed at the same rate that the upper end of the antenna mast moves with the specific arrangement of the extension or lifting cables, retracting cables, winch and coaxial cable producing a novel and unique extendible and retractable antenna mast.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Antenna masts of various types have been used in broadcasting and receiving radio messages in many different environments. Included in such developments are antenna masts which can be extended vertically or retracted vertically so that they can be mounted on a vehicle and transported to a desired site. This type of antenna mast is quite useful in seismograph exploration since it enables an exploration crew to move the antenna to a desired exploration site and then extend the antenna so that it can receive signals from a plurality of portable seismograph units so that these signals may be received and used as an input into a computer system or the like in order to more quickly evaluate the geologic formation being explored. While extendible antenna masts are known in the prior art, none of them utilizes the same or equivalent arrangement of telescopic sections, extension or lifting cables, retracting cables, winch and coaxial cable as utilized in the present invention.